Resources for Racial Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Resources for racial diversity, equity and inclusion to help you and your organization follow. Jeff Rodgers (Actors Theatre of Louisville) and Elizabeth Doran (Pasadena Playhouse) compiled this initial list as of October 2014. We hope to use this page to share amongst our organizations and welcome additional salient references. Please forward to Chair of the LORT Equity, Diversity, and Inclussion Committee Kelvin Dinkins, Jr and we will update periodically.

This resource guide has been created by the members of the LORT Recruitment Subcommittee to provide useful and constructive suggestions for a more equitable employment process for LORT Theatres with special attention to the recruitment of diverse candidates for leadership positions, primarily people of color and women. With a dearth of representation in key leadership positions at LORT Theatres, this guide seeks to provide a targeted perspective that seeks to expand the candidate pool of future LORT leaders as well as foster a culture that embraces the ideals of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within our member Theatres. The following guide shares best practices relating to recruitment efforts from entry-level positions up to executive leadership within LORT organizations. As hiring practices continue to be refined and reformed, it is the intention of the subcommittee that this guide be amended to remain up-to-date and relevant.

Racial Equity Tools is designed to support individuals and groups working to achieve racial equity. This site offers tools, research, tips, curricula and ideas for people who want to increase their own understanding and to help those working toward justice at every level – in systems, organizations, communities and the culture at large.

Race Forward advances racial justice through research, media, and practice. Founded in 1981, Race Forward brings systematic analysis and an innovative approach to complex race issues to help people take effective action toward racial equity.

ColorLines is a daily news site where race matters, featuring award-winning investigative reporting and news analysis.

SURJ is a national network of groups and individuals organizing White people for racial justice. Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ moves White people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability.

The Racial Equity Institute is an alliance of trainers and organizers who have devoted themselves to the work of anti-racist transformation.

The Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC) is a civil rights policy organization convened by major civil rights, civil liberties, and anti-poverty groups in 1989-90. PRRAC's primary mission is to help connect advocates with social scientists working on race and poverty issues, and to promote a research-based advocacy strategy on structural inequality issues.

The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond focuses on understanding what racism is, where it comes from, how it functions, why it persists and how it can be undone.

The National SEED Project is a peer-led professional development program that creates conversational communities to drive personal, organizational, and societal change toward greater equity and diversity.

The Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere – Los Angeles (AWARE-LA) is an all-volunteer alliance of white anti-racist people organizing to challenge racism and work for racial justice in transformative alliance with people of color.

The Equity & Inclusion Leaders Network (EILN) provides regular learning opportunities, tangible tools and strategies, and a chance to engage in direct and honest conversations about how to lead, integrate, and practice equity, inclusion, and systemic change within your organization.

The Theatre Communications Group Circle Salon series are all connected to TCG's Diversity and Inclusion Initiative.

The Wallace Foundation is a national philanthropy that seeks to improve learning and enrichment for disadvantaged children and foster the vitality of the arts for everyone.

Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA) Mentorship Initiative is designed to help develop the talents of current and future arts administrators and to create an opportunity for open dialogue and support within the WOCA network. Through the support of the Professional Development Committee, WOCA connects members of various career levels in authentic and meaningful conversations while providing an opportunity for peer learning and professional development.

In 2010, WESTAF established its Emerging Leaders of Color Professional Development Program, which promotes multicultural leadership in the arts by:

  • Building a cohort of cultural leaders of color in the western United States who are committed to the advancement of the arts.
  • Engaging diverse emerging leaders in coursework and activities designed to strengthen competencies and prepare participants for leadership positions in the field.
  • Providing opportunities for promising arts professionals to establish networks that support their careers and the cultural interests of the communities they represent and serve.
  • Deepening participants’ understanding of the arts in the United States and how public support sustains the vibrancy of the sector.

The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) is committed to modeling diversity and inclusion for the entertainment industry. We respect and value diverse life experiences and heritages, strive toward equitable treatment of our members, and support members who nurture diversity and equity in their places of work and in their broader communities. USITT aims to provide its members with opportunities for outreach, education and resources in order to celebrate and incorporate the broad experiences of this collaborative community. We challenge ourselves to question assumptions, expand knowledge, and implement plans to foster a more inclusive entertainment industry. USITT is committed to partnering with organizations, businesses, and individuals that share our dedication to creating and maintaining an inclusive environment with equitable treatment for all.

The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Facebook Group for People of Color is a place of diversity and inclusivity. The primary aim is Entertainment Production (technology and management) and it serves as a place to share stories, experiences and opportunities and as a place to network.

The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Facebook Group for Queer Theatre Makers is a place for all who are interested in equality and inclusion for members of the LGBTQ Community in Design, Production, and Management of the performing arts and entertainment industry.

The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Facebook Group for Woman in Theatre is a place for all who are interested in gender equality for women in Design, Production, and Management of the performing arts and entertainment industry.

artEquity provides tools, resources, and training to support the intersection or art and activism.

Part of the East West Players’ diversity initiative.

This list was sourced from countless activists and information sharers. It was created to support action and organizing for white-identified folks within the artEquity alumni network, so some resources speak specifically to white folks. However, EVERYONE is welcomed to utilize and share anything that is useful to your actions and organizing.

This document is intended to serve as a resource to white people and parents to deepen anti-racism work.

This publication explores the ways in which our current thinking about leadership often contributes to producing and maintaining racialized dynamics, and identifies a set of core competencies associated with racial justice leadership. Recommendations are included for helping leadership programs develop and support leadership that furthers racial justice in organizations, communities, and the broader society.

A thousand flowers appear to be blooming in terms of how foundations approach matters of race and ethnicity within their own walls and in their grantmaking. This Toolkit offers encouragement to start where you can, and the hope that those efforts will persist until equity, diversity, and inclusion are all addressed as central to the work. This collection of tools is based on a case example of what one Foundation has undertaken and accomplished because of a growing commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

This toolkit is meant for anyone who feels there is a lack of productive discourse around issues of diversity and the role of identity in social relationships, both on a micro (individual) and macro (communal) level. Training of this kind can provide historical context about the politics of identity and the dynamics of power and privilege or help build greater self-awareness. The activities on this site are intended for groups of 10 to 60 people. The diversity toolkit outlined here may be used as a guideline and can be modified to better fit your group’s unique needs

A tool for predominately white organizations and multi-racial organizations of white people and people of color.

Unintended racial prejudices are deeply rooted in all U.S. institutions. Use this questionnaire to find out if they are part of your organization. The questions use a racial lens to size up staffing and operational aspects. The assessment then offers additional tools and next steps based on how the organization scores. This tool is part of a Race Matters toolkit. For more information visit the Race Matters Institute website.

During the 1990s, the growing diversity of American communities invigorated public discourse about racial and ethnic prejudice, intolerance, oppression and conflict. In response, non-profit organizations across the United States developed innovative training programs to address racism and the changing shape of race relations. Although every intervention approaches racial issues and solutions differently, collectively these programs offer many successful examples of transforming people’s attitudes and behaviors, intergroup relationships, and social institutions and policies. Yet few efforts have been made to recognize and compare the variety of programs’ philosophies, methods and intended outcomes—a process that would help practitioners, community leaders, policy makers and funders identify good practices and develop better models.

Training for Racial Equity and Inclusion: A Guide to Selected Programs aims to fill that gap by providing an in-depth review and comparison of 10 training programs. It describes why programs do what they do (theory of practice) and how they believe their approaches will produce positive results (theory of change). Specifically, it examines how programs understand the sources and dynamics of racial and ethnic oppression and what principles and methods they use to address the problems. In addition, it assesses organizational capacities and the connection between programs’ activities and intended outcomes.

The purpose of Framing Issues with a Racial Equity Lens module is: To understand the power of ‘framing’; To learn how ‘re-framing’ is an important tool for building effective strategies for racial equity and change; And to explore how media coverage and public discourse can be shifted to impact outcomes.

Before automatically concluding that race is an issue in any situation, several steps need to be taken. If racial differences remain after tackling these six steps, the case is strong that race matters. This is part of a comprehensive Race Matters toolkit. For more information visit the Race Matters Institute website.

The purpose of this module is to provide a frame that supports Understanding the System of Racial Inequity by: Providing a “systems” frame that allows individual and group exploration into the nature of structural racialization; Understanding what it means to use a systems analysis for understanding structural inequities; and developing emotional intelligence and practicing strategic approaches to address structural inequity.

A Racial Equity Impact Assessment (REIA) is a systematic examination of how different racial and ethnic groups will likely be affected by a proposed action or decision. REIAs are used to minimize unanticipated adverse consequences in a variety of contexts, including the analysis of proposed policies, institutional practices, programs, plans and budgetary decisions. The REIA can be a vital tool for preventing institutional racism and for identifying new options to remedy long-standing inequities.

This tool provides a framework to structure conversations about race which contribute to progress toward racial equity and social justice.

Conversations about race are never easy. Here are a few tips on how to keep the conversation productive. This is part of a comprehensive Race Matters toolkit. For more information visit the Race Matters Institute website.

"Moving the Race Conversation Forward" is a report by Race Forward: The Center for Racial Justice Innovation that aims to reshape and reform the way we talk about race and racism in our country.

Resource page from Showing Up for Racial Justice's (SURJ) website. SURJ is a national network of groups and individuals organizing White people for racial justice. Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ moves White people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability. They work to connect people across the country while supporting and collaborating with local and national racial justice organizing efforts. SURJ provides a space to build relationships, skills and political analysis to act for change.

Project Implicit is a non-profit organization and international collaboration between researchers who are interested in implicit social cognition - thoughts and feelings outside of conscious awareness and control. The goal of the organization is to educate the public about hidden biases and to provide a “virtual laboratory” for collecting data on the Internet.

Project Implicit was founded in 1998 by three scientists – Tony Greenwald (University of Washington), Mahzarin Banaji (Harvard University), and Brian Nosek (University of Virginia). Project Implicit Mental Health launched in 2011, led by Bethany Teachman and Matt Nock. Project Implicit also provides consulting, education, and training services on implicit bias, diversity and inclusion, leadership, applying science to practice, and innovation.

Future Work Institute is a consulting team working for over 25 years in the area of diversity, leadership and career development, futurework and work/life assignments for major global organizations. Future Work is comprised of a core team and global network of consultants who model inclusion and new ways to work. They help their clients discover innovative ways to make their workscapes places where all talent can make extraordinary contributions to the enterprise. They are a firm that focuses on the future of D&I by integrating talent management, leadership and diversity work; linking their clients' D&I work to the business strategy; inventing new ways for their clients to learn and collaborate, and ensuring a change management approach to D&I that also focuses on the ROI of their clients' work.

On this page, the CSWA has compiled resources on unconscious bias, also known as implicit bias.

Livestream of Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Creative Careers Panel on HowlRound TV.

This database, sponsored by The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) is intended as a resource for producers and directors to identify racially and culturally diverse creative teams for theater projects in the US.

Environmental racism refers to the intentional discrimination in infrastructural and environmental policymaking. The environmental justice movement was created to address health disparities in low-income communities and communities of color caused by unfair policies and decision-making. If you are interested in learning more about environmental racism, the following resources can help you become informed and learn how to take action.

In this completely revised, “Remix” version of his highly-acclaimed memoir, White Like Me, Tim Wise explores how racial identity and whiteness influence the lives of white Americans, by examining how they have impacted his own life. Wise examines what it means to be white in a nation created for the benefit of those who are “white like him,” and how privilege seeps into every institutional arrangement, from education to employment to the justice system. Importantly, he also discusses the ways that white privilege can ultimately harm its recipients in the long run and make progressive social change less likely. Through personal storytelling and convincing analysis, Wise makes the case that racial inequity and white privilege are real and persistent threats to personal and collective well-being, but that resistance to white supremacy and racism is possible.

Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see black youth seated together in the cafeteria. Of course, it's not just the black kids sitting together-the white, Latino, Asian Pacific, and, in some regions, American Indian youth are clustered in their own groups, too. The same phenomenon can be observed in college dining halls, faculty lounges, and corporate cafeterias. What is going on here? Is this self-segregation a problem we should try to fix, or a coping strategy we should support? How can we get past our reluctance to talk about racial issues to even discuss it? And what about all the other questions we and our children have about race? Beverly Daniel Tatum, a renowned authority on the psychology of racism, asserts that we do not know how to talk about our racial differences: Whites are afraid of using the wrong words and being perceived as "racist" while parents of color are afraid of exposing their children to painful racial realities too soon. Using real-life examples and the latest research, Tatum presents strong evidence that straight talk about our racial identities-whatever they may be-is essential if we are serious about facilitating communication across racial and ethnic divides. We have waited far too long to begin our conversations about race. This remarkable book, infused with great wisdom and humanity, has already helped hundreds of thousands of readers figure out where to start.

In Blindspot, Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald explore hidden biases that we all carry from a lifetime of experiences withsocial groups – age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, sexuality, disability status, or nationality.

“Blindspot” is a metaphor to capture that portion of the mind that houses hidden biases. The authors use it to ask about the extent to which social groups – without our awareness or conscious control – shape our likes and dislikes, our judgments about people’s character, abilities, and potential.

In Blindspot, hidden biases are revealed through hands-on experience with the method that has revolutionized the way scientists are learning about the human mind and that gives us a glimpse into what lies within the metaphoric blindspot – the Implicit Association Test.

The title’s “good people” are the many people – the authors included – who strive to align their behavior with their good intentions. The aim of Blindspot is to explain the science in plain enough language to allow well-intentioned people to better achieve that alignment. Venturing into this book is an invitation to understand our own minds.

Article by Peggy McIntosh. The article first appeared in Peace and Freedom Magazine, July/August, 1989, pp. 10-12, a publication of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Philadelphia, PA.

Article by Joshua Rothman. Published by The New Yorker.

Paper by John A. Powell, Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at the University of California-Berkeley. From the September/October 2013 issue of Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC).

Paper by Muktha Jost, Edward L. Whitfield, and Mark Jost. From Multicultural Education.

The following is short list of resources (books, publications and a few videos) on 14 topic areas focused on racial equity. Compiled by Maggie Potapchuk, MP Associates.

Tim Wise's (Antiracist essayist, author, and educator) list of recommend readings.

Article by Patricia Cohen. From The New York Times.

Article by Joann S. Lublin. Big businesses teach staffers how 'unconscious bias' impacts decisions. From The Wall Street Journal.

Essay by Paul Kivel, Educator, Writer, and Activist.

Article by Elana Muslar. Posted on American for the Arts, ArtsBlog.

Article by Emma Grimsley. Published by Playbill.com.

Project Directors: Sumru Erkut, Ph.D. from the Wellesley Centers for Women.

Article by Sumru Erkut and Ineke Ceder. Published by HowlRound.

Article by Sumru Erkut and Ineke Ceder. Published by HowlRound.

Article by Melena Ryzik. From The New York Times.

Article by James Abruzzo. Published on Linkedin.

Article by John McGuirk. Published by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Work in Progress Blog.

Article by Lee Seymour. Published by Forbes.

Article by Lee Seymour. Published by Forbes.

Paper by Robin DiAngelo. Published in the International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, Vol 3 (3) (2011) pp 54-70.

Article by Snehal Desai. Posted on HowlRound.

Fingerprint for success has gathered various insightful stats on instances of racism in the workplace, which includes data from Glassdoor, SHRM, and other organizations. They've also highlighted simple steps you can take to fight racism and promote equity in your own workplace.

November 8-10, 2018, Detroit, Michigan

April 4-7, 2018, Grand Rapids, Michigan

The Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Institute is a key part of TCG's multi-year, six-point Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Initiative to transform the national theatre field into a more equitable, inclusive and diverse community. TCG, in partnership with Carmen Morgan, Director of artEquity, launched a national cohort of over 20 TCG Member Theatres, including TCG, to create and execute action plans around diversity and inclusion, kicking-off as a Pre-Conference at the 2013 National Conference. The Institute holds smaller training programs and convenings on cultural awareness, managing diversity and activating change, with additional cohorts to launch in the near future. This intensive approach not only creates a climate within each individual theatre whereby institutional change is more likely to take hold, but it also adds significantly to the collective impact and national momentum of diversity and inclusion efforts already taking place.

The specific intent of SPARK is to create a more diverse theatre landscape by supporting the professional development of exceptional rising leaders of color who aim to take on executive leadership positions at U.S. not-for-profit theatres.

The Rising Leaders of Color (RLC) will provide theatre professionals who self-identify as leaders of color with professional development and networking opportunities at TCG’s National Conferences and beyond, including periodic webinars, group teleconferences, and introductions to recipients and alumni of TCG’s grant programs. In addition, participants will engage in dialogues about the next generation of theatre leadership, sharing their goals, challenges and insights to better shape TCG’s programming toward advancing a more interdependent, inclusive, and sustainable theatre field.

FAIR is a professional development program that provides participants with an advanced fellowship, assistantship, internship, or resident opportunity to learn best practices across all administration, artistic, design, & production disciplines within a Tony Award winning theater environment.